3 Answers

+17 votes

In use cases, alternate paths are the other user-system interactions besides from the main path, like an alternate way for the actors to accomplish the use case goal. For example, in the Todd and Gina's dog door user story, an alternate path can be:

1. The noice recognizer recognizes the bark from Fido
2. The door automatically opens for Fido

So in a use case there is a main math you would believe the user would follow when operating your software. An "alternative path" would be a less common way the user might use your software. For the chicken tracker software, an alternative path could be that they decide to only use your manual tracker and opt out of the automatic tracker all together for a particular use.